KIRKLAND – Northwest was dealt a tough decision by a late-game whistle in an 89-86 loss to Warner Pacific on Saturday.
 
NU was assessed a technical foul, and the Knights took advantage with two made free throws and the ball with 39 seconds left in the game. CaCoa Chatman came up with a steal, but the Eagles couldn't convert a potential game-tying three-pointer.
 
The Eagles trailed by 16 points midway through the second half, but NU battled back and was still down 15 with under seven minutes left. Chatman scored nine points in a 17-9 NU run to make it a one-point game at 87-86 before the technical foul.
 
"This is the toughest I've ever seen this league," said NU Head Coach Jeff Drinkwine. "I can't believe how hard it is to win night in and night out. Our guys played hard. We've improved so much, but we came up short because this is such a tough conference. This is the second night in a row it came down to the last possession, and those are the kinds of games you want–but they're also the toughest ones to lose. But I'm proud of my guys, and as long as our locker room stays as close-knit as it is, we're going to be fine."
 
Tanner Davis led the Eagles with 23 points on 11-13 shooting, followed by Chatman and Rayvaughn Bolton with 19 points each. Tre Newman added 13. Davis led the Eagles with nine rebounds. Bolton had eight assists, and Chatman added seven.
 
Thomas Miles led WPU with 17 points. Tyrese Yussuf-Wilis added 16 points, including 10 free throws in as many attempts.
 
Now 10-13 overall and 7-11 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, the Eagles travel to the College of Idaho on Friday and Eastern Oregon on Saturday.